Birchbox Crush: Zem Joaquin

With a background in design and style, Zem Joaquin had always been interested in chic living. But it wasn’t until she connected her children’s chronic asthma to the cleaning agents she was using in her home that she realized she need to reexamine all the products in her life. As she learned more about how to make her house a healthier place, she felt obligated to share her findings with others the best way she knew how: blogging. Thus Ecofabulous was born, a blog completely dedicated to chic sustainable living. Since then, Zem has become somewhat of a luminary in the green world. We tracked down the busy trailblazer to pick her brain about everything from creepy must-avoid ingredients to her all-natural standbys.

Read The Label

Sixty percent of what you put on your skin gets absorbed into your blood stream. In other words, the products you put on your body should be healthy enough to put in your body. Remember, your skin is an organ. You wouldn’t go slathering unhealthy things on your heart, would you?

Number One Ingredient to Avoid

Phthalates: they can disrupt your endocrine system, which regulates your hormones. For example, they can turn on hormones that aren't meant to be turned on. Creepy.

Favorite Beauty Brands

Weleda Love

My whole team had been obsessed with Weleda's super hydrating Skin Food, but it wasn't until one of our writers went to Germany to experience the company’s biodynamic fields that we all really became huge fans. I also love their restorative Pomegranate Granada Grenade, which truly repairs mature skin. The line is conscious, effective, and delicious. What's not to love?

DIY Beauty

I adore DIY home projects, but less so when it comes to my beauty products. I do make organic sugar and olive oil scrubs in the summer, but I once did a mayonnaise and egg mixture on my hair that was just disastrous. Mayo is so stinky—it should be on a hamburger, not your head. Now I am more apt to trust the experts.